# How do you keep your pipe tobaccos fresh economically ?



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

..So, I started smoking pipes a couples of months ago and I love it!! (I was a cigar smoker and still am just like many peoples here)Obviously, I still need to learn a lot of things about this new hobby.:???:I know that you are supposed to keep pipe tobaccos in mason jars or tobacco humidors,but how do you guys usually keep your tobacco fresh economically ?Any other tricks, ideas,or suggestions?


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Once you put your tobacco in a jar with a good seal, it will remain at that moisture level until you open it again. Just jar and store in a drawer, closet, under the bed... Any place out of direct sunlight. Smaller jars means when you do open one, less amount of tobacco is losing moisture.


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

..Thanks for the reply ,but I kinda know that...:nod:Any other suggestions or tricks that I should know about..?


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

There is no "trick". Dale has stated the usual means of storing pipe tobacco & gave you a hint as to storing in smaller jars. What exactly are you hoping for other than that? :noidea:


----------



## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

Tashaz said:


> There is no "trick". Dale has stated the usual means of storing pipe tobacco & gave you a hint as to storing in smaller jars. What exactly are you hoping for other than that? :noidea:


I keep my HTF stuff in the pouch of my pet kangaroo, moist and well guarded, however this may not be economical elsewhere. Sorry to take the piss to the OP but decent jars sealed properly (in other words the lid is fully closed) and out of direct sunlight/harsh temperatures and you're golden. The only other alternative being when you have a bunch of little sampler baggies if they are of the same variety of tobacco you could throw them in a little tupperware container to keep them fresh a little longer.


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Andrewdk said:


> I keep my HTF stuff in the pouch of my pet kangaroo, moist and well guarded, however this may not be economical elsewhere.


ound: Oh there is a precedent. I'm still wondering what the OP seeks as a viable answer. He "knows that :nod:" already, but has been here 18 months & hopefully already read half the threads available. :cheeky:


----------



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I like to keep my tobacco in the truck (under the hood?) of my DeLorean time machine. Want some aged tobacco? No problem. Want some fresh stuff, just drive back in time. Want to go back to 2009 and sign a contract with Mike Butera for all his Esoterica toba...:tape2:


----------



## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

Commander Quan said:


> I like to keep my tobacco in the truck (under the hood?) of my DeLorean time machine. Want some aged tobacco? No problem. Want some fresh stuff, just drive back in time. Want to go back to 2009 and sign a contract with Mike Butera for all his Esoterica toba...:tape2:


Or better yet no storage at all, just a wormhole into their warehouse.


----------



## MiamiMikePA (May 16, 2012)

Damn...why didn't I think of the kangaroo thing! Doesn't get much more economic than $3.99 for 4 jars IMO. If that's too costly for storage may I suggest not storing tobacco maybe?


----------



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Andrewdk said:


> Or better yet no storage at all, just a wormhole into their warehouse.


But then I couldn't have justified the DeLorean


----------



## Blue_2 (Jan 25, 2011)

Andrewdk said:


> Or better yet no storage at all, just a wormhole into their warehouse.


That'd be the pinnacle of economic right there.


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

I think I get where the OP is coming from. I kinda got that, too, when I came over here from cigars. "wait...you just seal it in a mason jar? What's the catch? How do you check the RH? Where does KL fit into the equation? What about PG solution?".

Nope, none of that stuff! There is no catch, no trick, no nothing. Seal it in a glass mason jar. That's it!

I like these guys for storing bulk stuff. 4 ounce jars will hold about one ounce (or maybe a hair more) of loose tobacco, or about two ounces of flake (if you don't mind squashing it down in there...and I don't):
Amazon.com: Ball Quilted Jelly Canning Jar 4 Oz., Case of 12: Home & Kitchen

I also have some half pint (8 ounce) *wide mouth* jars. These are perfect for putting tinned tobacco in, as they fit 2 ounces of loose tobacco perfectly. I prefer the wide mouth ones because it's easier to fit my big fingers inside and dig around. The 4 ounce ones are don't come in wide mouth, unfortunately.


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

Tashaz said:


> There is no "trick". Dale has stated the usual means of storing pipe tobacco & gave you a hint as to storing in smaller jars. What exactly are you hoping for other than that? :noidea:


I don't know exactly....that is why i was hoping to get some suggetsions ,but i guess i was wrong about getting good ideas from you guys .my fault


----------



## kbiv (Jul 30, 2010)

I like that there is less to worry about on the pipe tobacco side. You can easily go into information overload just trying to research the different KL brands and which one is right for your particular humidor, location, curvature of the earth, etc. Cigars don't also have nearly as wide of screw-up latitude that pipe tobacco had. Just the other day I found a sample of Royal Yacht that I had been given by the Mad Professor in October. The bag was open and unsealed since then, I guess. Loaded it up, and lit it off. Even as crunchy as it was, it still kicked my tail! Compared to digital tracking of RH's, different RH medias, and the variety of storage methods, the glass jar can seem too good to be true!


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

nimaimeshinchan said:


> but i guess i was wrong about getting good ideas from you guys .my fault


ok, now *I'm* confused.

The other guys told you "glass mason jars.". You didn't like that answer, so they joked around a little. Then I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, and told you "glass mason jars" again, and even told you what sizes I like. Then you come back with this snide remark.

I'm not sure what you want, brother. Glass mason jars are pretty much what we all use for short and long term storage. That's it, the end. No one is hiding anything from you, that's really what we *ALL* use! From us lowly nobodies, to the great Gregg Pease. There just isn't anything else out there as effective, readily available, and economical.

Is there some reason you don't want to use glass mason jars? If so, why not just tell us. We'll discuss it.

Do you have something else in mind? Tell us, maybe we'll learn something from you. Or at least discuss it.

Or do you just not believe us? If you don't trust our judgement, why ask in the first place? :hmm:


----------



## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

gahdzila said:


> ok, now *I'm* confused.
> 
> The other guys told you "glass mason jars.". You didn't like that answer, so they joked around a little. Then I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, and told you "glass mason jars" again, and even told you what sizes I like. Then you come back with this snide remark.
> 
> ...


Listen to Cliff he knows as much about pipe tobacco as i know about Cuban Cigars!
He is kind respectful and a great BOTL!


----------



## NomoMoMo (Feb 19, 2012)

nimaimeshinchan said:


> I don't know exactly....that is why i was hoping to get some suggetsions ,but i guess i was wrong about getting good ideas from you guys .my fault


Curious, are you asking not only about storage but other pipe tricks, ideas and suggestions. Pipe tobacco storage is easy compared to cigars, but there is a learning curve to smoking pipes, and a lot of tricks to aid in your enjoyment, but without knowing specifically what you're looking for there's no way to help. Are you looking for packing info, pipe info, tobacco info, lighting info, smoking info, breaking-in info, cellaring info, etc.... The members here are more than willing to help, but we just need specifics, and once we have that you will get tons of tricks, tips, ideas and suggestions, probably so much that your head will spin more than if you had just smoked a bowl of tambolaka.


----------



## jphank (Apr 29, 2012)

I guess I'll break from tradition and say I don't use mason jars.

I use Ball jars!

ound:


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> Listen to Cliff he knows as much about pipe tobacco as i know about Cuban Cigars!
> He is kind respectful and a great BOTL!


Tony, thank you for your kind words. It means a lot coming from such a respected member of this community as yourself. But, I am very much still a newbie to pipes, particularly compared to many of the other gentlemen here. I've read a lot, and learned a LOT in my time here, but I've still got a lot left to learn!


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

gahdzila said:


> ok, now *I'm* confused.
> 
> The other guys told you "glass mason jars.". You didn't like that answer, so they joked around a little. Then I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, and told you "glass mason jars" again, and even told you what sizes I like. Then you come back with this snide remark.
> 
> ...


----------



## Blue_2 (Jan 25, 2011)

Sorry about that we were just having a little fun, no offense intended.

The problem with innovative storage ideas is that a lot of things have been tried; vacuum sealing, tupperware, etc. Some have even been partially to completely successful. However they all pale in comparison to the pure simplicity of the canning jar. It's cheap, readily available, almost idiot proof, and gives the tobacco a ridiculous shelf life.

The only down side is if you accidentally break one open. No tobacco is worth inhaling glass dust.


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

NomoMoMo said:


> Curious, are you asking not only about storage but other pipe tricks, ideas and suggestions. Pipe tobacco storage is easy compared to cigars, but there is a learning curve to smoking pipes, and a lot of tricks to aid in your enjoyment, but without knowing specifically what you're looking for there's no way to help. Are you looking for packing info, pipe info, tobacco info, lighting info, smoking info, breaking-in info, cellaring info, etc.... The members here are more than willing to help, but we just need specifics, and once we have that you will get tons of tricks, tips, ideas and suggestions, probably so much that your head will spin more than if you had just smoked a bowl of tambolaka.


There seems to be many things to learn about pipe smoking,but I started this thread "How do your keep pipe tobaccos fresh economically?' hoping to learn how to store tobaccos and keep'em fresh(I just want to mention BESIDES mason jars or canning jars methods only if there are more effective or more economical storing tobacco methods that I am not aware of) from other members here.Nothing more,nothing less


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

Blue_2 said:


> Sorry about that we were just having a little fun, no offense intended.
> 
> The problem with innovative storage ideas is that a lot of things have been tried; vacuum sealing, tupperware, etc. Some have even been partially to completely successful. However they all pale in comparison to the pure simplicity of the canning jar. It's cheap, readily available, almost idiot proof, and gives the tobacco a ridiculous shelf life.
> 
> The only down side is if you accidentally break one open. No tobacco is worth inhaling glass dust.


Thanks for trying to make this thread more informative for me now.That means a lot:rockon:


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

gahdzila said:


> ok, now *I'm* confused.
> 
> The other guys told you "glass mason jars.". You didn't like that answer, so they joked around a little. Then I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, and told you "glass mason jars" again, and even told you what sizes I like. Then you come back with this snide remark.
> 
> ...


well, not that i didn't like the mason jar idea.Only i was already aware of this method,so i was hoping that i could get some other knowledge from you guys' experiences on storing tobaccos.somehow,i ended up getting criticism and some jokes about this whole thread ,so I got little discouraged to keep this discussion going .that is all.Again, i just was hoping to hear other methods to store tobaccos.Now, the reason why I asked how to store tobacco BESIDES using mason jars is that using many jars(if you decided to store many kinds of tobacco in the limited space like my bed room) sounds space consuming and jars made of glass seem pretty heavy and breakable.Also, I have been cigar smokers for almost 7 years now , I think I am well aware of storing cigars and there ARE a few options to it as you may already know.(Using humidors, coolidors,tupperwares,zip lock bags ,etc..)That is why I thought there MAY be other storing methods on storing pipe tobaccos that I am not aware of besides using mason jars as well.However, if using mason jars is ONLY economical and reliable method coming from every members here , I WILL take you guys words for it and apply this info to store my tobaccos .Thank you!


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

> However, if using mason jars is ONLY economical and reliable method coming from every members here , I WILL take you guys words for it and apply this info to store my tobaccos .


 There it is and I'm glad you got there in the end. :thumb:


----------



## JCinPA (Jul 14, 2012)

He doesn't like the simplicity of Ball jars with rubber lid seals, I guess. He want something more complex.

First, build a metal walk-in cabinet to store your tobaccos in ... Hook it up to it's own HVAC system for precise temperature control.









Then get an in-duct humidification system for precise control of RH.









Store your tobacco in there, doesn't really matter what you use for containers.

OR

You could use these ...


----------



## JCinPA (Jul 14, 2012)

By the way, I'm just busting your stones. I couldn't resist.


----------



## Bad Finger (Jan 5, 2011)

I keep a pride of hungry Servals in the back yard. Anytime I see a tobacco drying, I just let them eat some of my 'baccy, and out pops nice little kitty fermented and most importantly, remoistened pipe tobacco!

Goes well with the coffee.

Its still better than the dung beetle setup I was using last year.


----------



## crizq0 (Dec 16, 2011)

Is there much to worry about regarding MOLD? I notice with pipes the tobacco run very moist/wet. The coolest part of my house temp wise is around 80deg F. I know that's not optimal but thats the best I can do. 

From what I read with cigars, keeping the RH below 70% prevents mold growth but what about with tobacco thats wet?


----------



## cardboardphone (Jul 24, 2012)

crizq0 said:


> Is there much to worry about regarding MOLD? I notice with pipes the tobacco run very moist/wet. The coolest part of my house temp wise is around 80deg F. I know that's not optimal but thats the best I can do.
> 
> From what I read with cigars, keeping the RH below 70% prevents mold growth but what about with tobacco thats wet?


I haven't ran into issues with mold, but I make it a point to start with a clean jar ahead of time to reduce the chances of errant spores lurking about.


----------



## Blue Raccoon (Mar 13, 2011)

I use these for 'open stock'









for anything that I'm not going to open if it comes in a tin I simply add it to the shelf in the basement. for storage of bulk tobacco I use the quart size glass canning jars. for travel storage I use a zip-lock baggie.


----------



## NomoMoMo (Feb 19, 2012)

FWIW...When I purchased my first pipe two years ago from P&C.com, I bought the the 'Smooth Operator' sample pack http://http://pipesandcigars.com/busatsmop.html which came in bulk each in a ziplock bag, then the whole group in another ziplock, and that bag, along with some other misc. tobacco was placed in third ziplock bag. The tobacco (Altadis?) is still moist, but that could also be due to the added PG.


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

Blue Raccoon said:


> I use these for 'open stock'
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What is that?! and when can I get one?


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

JCinPA said:


> He doesn't like the simplicity of Ball jars with rubber lid seals, I guess. He want something more complex.
> 
> First, build a metal walk-in cabinet to store your tobaccos in ... Hook it up to it's own HVAC system for precise temperature control.
> 
> ...


..yeah..whatever..from now on ,stop coming to my thread whenever I write another one.Thanks


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Well, when you get the correct answer to your question in the first response and then you sneer at it, you really should expect some oddball responses.


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

I disagree. I did expect something different,but I didn't sneer at it. It looks like that is the way YOU took it,though.


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

nimaimeshinchan said:


> I disagree. I did expect something different,but I didn't sneer at it. It looks like that is the way YOU took it,though.


You may want to relax a little Shin & take a step back for a minute. Digging at senior members here & telling people not to post in any thread is not going to end well for anyone. The boys (myself included) are just mostly having a little fun with you, nothing personal.


----------



## Tashy (Apr 5, 2011)

_I'm with Mark C Sunshine :biggrin1:_


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Tashy said:


> _I'm with Mark C Sunshine :biggrin1:_


Oh so what am I? Scotch mist? Bloody hell Mark, now you have enamoured my wife as well. LMAO. I'll still need her services for a few weeks as we have to move house but I'm sure the kids won't mind after that. ound:


----------



## JCinPA (Jul 14, 2012)

nimaimeshinchan said:


> ..yeah..whatever..from now on ,stop coming to my thread whenever I write another one.Thanks


Ooooh. A little touchy, aren't we? And my post IMMEDIATELY underneath that one was ...



> JCinPA said:
> 
> 
> > By the way, I'm just busting your stones. I couldn't resist.


And after your initial snarky response to the posters in this thread, responded to very nicely, IMO, by gahdzila? Listen ...

1. Ball jars are an economical way to store tobacco, and were a perfect answer to your initial inquiry.
2. If you knew that and wanted other ideas, which eventually came, you could have said that in the OP or been a little less sharp in the way you stated it later.
3. Either you have an itchy trigger finger and made this comment without seeing my next post, complete with winky emoticon (it can be hard to tell tone on a forum, that's why those are available), *or *you did read my next comment and simply lack a certain sense of humor required to be a part of communities like this.

On every successful forum community I've been on, they are successful because members are jovial and friendly, not wrapped quite as tight as you seem to be, enjoy poking a little good-natured fun at each other, and have a little bit of a self-deprecating humorous attitude toward themselves. To quote a famous movie line, I think you need to, *"Lighten up, Francis."*

Like any community you chose who you want to 'hang out with' on Internet forums, and you keep this up you won't have a lot of posters hanging out in your threads. Gahdzila probably will because he is a great guy with a very helpful nature. Others won't because of your snappiness and sarcasm. And that means you won't get as many answers to your questions, short-circuiting much of the benefit of being a member here in the first place.

I am not trying to escalate this at all, really I'm not. I'm just trying to point out that you should consider digesting some this because this seems like a pretty fun place with members who have a good sense of humor who like to tease and be teased, and who have an incredible corporate knowledge base they like to freely share with other. And when their questions are not answered to their satisfaction they would probably come back with,

"Thanks for the replies, guys, I don't think I phrased the OP very well, though. I'm really looking for _*explain here*_...)

Rather than,

"Boy, what a bunch of lame responses, you guys are not much help!"

I hope you learn to lighten up a bit, I think this is a great Internet hangout. You're not going to enjoy it very much on this path, though, which is a real shame. Good luck to you.


----------



## JCinPA (Jul 14, 2012)

Tashaz said:


> You may want to relax a little Shin & take a step back for a minute. Digging at senior members here & telling people not to post in any thread is not going to end well for anyone. The boys (myself included) are just mostly having a little fun with you, nothing personal.


There's a man who 'gets it'! You may poke fun at me *any time*, sir! :lol: Lord knows I will give you lots of opportunities.


----------



## Blue Raccoon (Mar 13, 2011)

nimaimeshinchan said:


> What is that?! and when can I get one?


here you go..
The Container Store > Click Clack® Cubes with Grey Lids


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

JCinPA said:


> There's a man who 'gets it'! You may poke fun at me *any time*, sir! :lol: *Lord knows I will give you lots of opportunities*.


You & me both mate.:woohoo::biglaugh:


----------



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

You guys are all a bunch a A-holes When a new guy comes in here and asks a serious question, how dare you tell him something as ridiculous as "keep you tobacco in mason jars" that's like telling a guy he should store cubic feet of cigars inside a cooler, or that corn cob pipes can smoke just as well as patent era Dunhills. I ought to ding every one of you for propagating these outlandish ideas.


----------



## JCinPA (Jul 14, 2012)

Oooops. Sorry, Commander. We'll try to behave better in the future. 

Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?


----------



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

You must be thinking of my twin. I'm the ugly one.


----------



## Jogi (Dec 4, 2009)

Here's my method. I do not have access to mason jars, so what I do is, I wash the empty jam/peanut butter bottles (EVERY household will ALWAYS have some of these around) really well with hot water and dish soap, rinse thoroughly and dry. The hot water kills any flavors/aromas and the soap removes any grease etc. And they're just like Mason Jars; glass bottle, metal screw-on cap with a rubber seal. Been working like a charm so far. Hope this answers your question of economical storage options other than the Mason Jars.

The seals on these bottles can not be replaced, but this isn't a problem since washing with hot water and soap before storing a different tobacco fixes the aroma issue as always.

And BTW, no one means to be rude to you, rest assured. They're just having a bit of fun round here... :grouphug:


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

Jogi said:


> Here's my method. I do not have access to mason jars, so what I do is, I wash the empty jam/peanut butter bottles (EVERY household will ALWAYS have some of these around) really well with hot water and dish soap, rinse thoroughly and dry. The hot water kills any flavors/aromas and the soap removes any grease etc. And they're just like Mason Jars; glass bottle, metal screw-on cap with a rubber seal. Been working like a charm so far. Hope this answers your question of economical storage options other than the Mason Jars.
> 
> The seals on these bottles can not be replaced, but this isn't a problem since washing with hot water and soap before storing a different tobacco fixes the aroma issue as always.
> 
> And BTW, no one means to be rude to you, rest assured. They're just having a bit of fun round here... :grouphug:


Hey,thanks for the tip!Your idea sounds effective and very economical!..Yeah, I was not used to get made fun of or picked on, ,so I guess I took it little too hard..Thanks ,anyway:high5:


----------



## Jogi (Dec 4, 2009)

nimaimeshinchan said:


> Hey,thanks for the tip!Your idea sounds effective and very economical!..Yeah, I was not used to get made fun of or picked on, ,so I guess I took it little too hard..Thanks ,anyway:high5:


No problem. Glad you like it, do give it a shot... :nod:


----------



## phinz (Jan 5, 2010)

In addition, if storage space is at a premium, save the boxes your Mason/Ball jars come in. They're quite stackable that way, and can even slide under a bed. Mark the lid with a piece of tape with the blend, tin date and jar date on it.

Here's an old picture of my cellar. I've since added a bunch more Mason/Ball jars, and a lot more tins. I've tried several other methods, and the only one that works for me almost flawlessly is the jar.


----------



## nimaimeshinchan (Dec 21, 2010)

Wow! A nice stash and pipe collections,Scott!


----------



## WyoBob (Mar 6, 2007)

Andrewdk said:


> I keep my HTF stuff in the pouch of my pet kangaroo, moist and well guarded, however this may not be economical elsewhere.


Warning!!! This will not work with beer


----------



## Jogi (Dec 4, 2009)

Jogi said:


> Here's my method...


I got a bit lazy and didn't snap a pic of such a jar, so here you go now...









It's still got the original sticker on it so you can see it's the real thing :smile: It easily holds a 50g tin OR 1.5oz pouch worth tobacco.


----------



## GoJohnnyGo (Nov 19, 2011)

One thing to consider is buying tins for long term storage and trying to keep your "opened" stock to a minimum. This is what I do and it works well. I've got a lot of tins and about 4-5 jars.


----------

